ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Prostate cancer patients whose disease has moved into their bones now have a new treatment available locally.

Siteman Cancer Center is one of just five in the United States to treat meta-static prostate cancer patients with a newly-approved drug.

The drug is called Xofigo, a radioactive injection designed to extend a patient’s life.

“It actually improves the patients survival…about four months on average,” says Dr. Jeff Michalski, a radiation oncologist at the Siteman Cancer Center. “However, recognize that some patients will have certainly more benefit of course, others may have less.”

The drug doesn’t cure the disease, but by mimicking calcium, Xofigo helps ease the excruciating pain of cancer to the bones.

Michalski says the drugs improves the quality of a prostate cancer patient’s life by reducing the number of hip and compression fractures.